Effects Of Gout And Alcohol
I am looking at the effects of alcohol and gout, following last month’s review of allopurinol and alcohol.This aspect of gouty arthritis remains confusing, but let me give you some pointers about how you should approach it.
Gout and alcohol is the most emotive and controversial aspect of managing gouty arthritis.
How do you cut through the confusion to find how alcohol affects your gout?
I have spent many years researching alcohol and gout, both academically and personally.
On the academic front, there are plenty of research projects into various effects of alcohol on gout. Yet little is conclusive, much is confusing, and most is simply not relevant. Why not relevant? Because alcohol is just one small part of a gout diet.
And gout diet is just one small part of managing gout.
So, just like gout, you have to manage alcohol according to your own personal wants and needs. If you have a serious alcohol problem, you are unlikely to be able to manage gout properly. You have to sort out your alcoholism first, because all the evidence says that, even if you do manage to get a good gout treatment plan, you will forget to take your gout medication.
To manage alcohol with respect to gout, you must sort out your gout management plan first. This is quite simple, unless you have other health conditions that make it more complicated:
- Confirm your gout diagnosis. There is no point in planning gout treatment if you are actually suffering from something else. I cover this in the Gout Symptoms Section.
- Plan your gout treatment. This means lowering uric acid to 5mg/dL (0.30mmol/L), or less, permanently. A few months on a lower target, will shorten the length of time it takes to get rid of old uric acid crystal deposits. Until you do get rid of all old uric acid crystals, you will probably need an effective pain relief plan. I cover this in the Gout Treatment Section.
- Part of your gout treatment plan might include your diet, including lifestyle issues such as exercise. With a thorough assessment of your current diet, you can see if, and where, improvements to your lifestyle will benefit your gout treatment plan. I cover this in the Gout Diet section, and it might include modifying your drinking habits.
The best approach is to plan your treatment first. If you cannot achieve your treatment goals, i.e. if you cannot lower uric acid enough, or you cannot relieve pain effectively, then you should discuss the role of alcohol with your doctor. As I stated in my allopurinol and alcohol article, you should ensure that you are getting the best treatment first, then consider alcohol. This applies to all gout treatments, not just allopurinol, and all aspects of your diet, not just alcohol.
Please do not get bogged down with the effects of gout and alcohol. Get a good gout management plan, then review alcohol consumption in the context of that plan. If you are unsure about the effects of gout and alcohol, or if you want to share your opinions and experiences, please join the Gout And Alcohol Debate.
Leave Gout And Alcohol to browse the Gout Diet section.
Tags: gout and alcohol